The present invention is directed to an insulated shipping container, and more particularly to a shipping container with multiple insulated inner compartments.
The shipment of multiple temperature sensitive objects in one container, where each object is required to be maintained at a different critical temperature, is frequently required in the course of medical and scientific research. The quantity of material which must be shipped may be of such small size that delivery by express or courier service is feasible and cost effective so long as each object can be maintained at its own critical temperature. Conventional insulated shipping containers are not, unfortunately, adequate for thermally isolating each object. Furthermore, the quantity of material being shipped is so slight that conventional temperature control systems are unfeasible.
Medical and scientific research may require that multiple objects which are sensitive to temperature fluctuations be transmitted simultaneously between two distant locations taking up to 100 hours or more for shipping time. This is a typical situation in such diverse areas as organ transplants and biotechnology. Shipment of these objects may require that each object be maintained at a different temperature throughout the shipping period or else each object may suffer severe damage.
The materials being shipped must also be protected from violent impacts and rough handling. Consequently, the container in which the material is shipped must have substantial structural integrity. Additionally, the container in which the material is shipped must be capable of withstanding point impacts of substantial force.
Various insulated shipping containers have been proposed in the art, and some examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,856,178; 3,890,762; and 4,730,748. However, these containers suffer from many disadvantages and there is a need in the art for an insulated shipping container with reusable multiple thermally isolated compartments which can be easily assembled and disassembled, and which can easily be easily manufactured for custom sizes.